The popular annual summertime sale of American and European art conducted by Rob and Annette Elowitch of Barridoff Galleries was once again well received by art enthusiasts, not only those from throughout the northern New England region, but also a host of participants from afar. Just under 250 works of art were offered in the August 1 sale, with regional painters such as Andrew Wyeth, Marguerite Zorach, Carl Sprinchorn, Frank Benson, Jane Peterson and Winslow Homer attracting attention.
International artists also did well, with English artist Sir Alfred Munnings topping the list, and European-flavored paintings also commanded strong interest.
Typically known for his work in oil, Munnings was “one of the few artists who was as proficient in watercolor as in oil,” stated the Elowitches in the auction catalog. “The Huntsman, A Bad Scent,” a gouache and watercolor executed in 1913, depicted an alert horse ridden by a red-jacketed huntsman who was patiently waiting for the hounds in the background to pick up scent.
“The subjects for this painting are the teenager Ned Osborne and the Munnings’s favorite mare ‘Grey Tick’ whom the artist frequently used in his hunting pictures executed before the First World War,” states the catalog in regard to the picture. “In this work, as in many of his pictures, the artist depicts his colorful subject against the backdrop of rugged granite by placing the grey mare and scarlet coat in contrast to the masses of dark rock and ground.”
Provenance for the painting listed it as a single-family history descending to a great-grandchild, the current owner and a former resident of Maine. Bidding on the lot was active, with it becoming the top lot of the day selling at $480,000.
With a distinct Continental flavor, Daniel Ridgway Knight’s oil on canvas titled “Soir d’Automne” depicted a young flower girl with a cart filled with flowers amid a garden setting. Framed against a river scene in the background and gray skies, the painting did well, selling at $216,000.
A realist-style painting by Rackstraw Downes titled “Olsen’s Reunion” was inscribed on the verso “Preparing the Feast for the 1982 Reunion of Chris and Karl Olsen’s Grassroots Experience Expeditions in the Woods Kitchen of their Farmsteading Facility near Center Montville, Maine, 1981-1982.” Depicting a kitchen under a tarped lean-to in the woods, the painting was well executed with towering trees framing the bright blue sky. Provenance listed Hirschl & Adler Modern, and the painting also had an extensive exhibition list. Estimated at $60/90,000, the lot sold at $91,200.
A Frank Benson watercolor that had descended in the family of the artist depicted his summer residence. Titled “Wooster Farm, North Haven, Maine,” the watercolor is scheduled to be included in the Vose Galleries’ upcoming catalogue raisonné on the artist. Also illustrated in Spanierman Gallery’s book Frank Benson: The Impressionist Years , the watercolor sold for $72,000. “In Flight,” another watercolor by Benson depicting gulls and terns hovering over a rock outcropping in turbulent seas, also attracted attention, selling at $48,000.
Another painting to have descended in the artist’s family was a Louis Rittman oil on canvas depicting a woman seated in a garden. In an Impressionist style, the painting, titled “Peaceful Interlude, Garden Giverny,” did well, bringing $60,000.
A colorful George Luks watercolor, “Upstream, Nova Scotia, circa 1920,” handily surpassed presale estimates as it sold at $51,600, while Marguerite Zorach’s 1920 watercolor “Nevada Falls, Yosemite Valley, California” realized $72,000.
“Portrait of an Indian,” a watercolor by Alfred Jacob Miller depicting a seated brave with a tomahawk in his hands, was consigned from a private collector in Vermont. The watercolor sold at estimate, realizing $60,000.
A wonderful oil by Sheldon Parsons titled “The Santa Fe Has Brought Invaders, Ever So Sharp” depicted a crowd of tourists descending on a quaint Taos settlement. “The inscription immediately following the title appears to be a reference to the artist Joseph Henry Sharp, who has painted similar views of Taos,” explained the Elowitches in the auction catalog. With a provenance listed as “by descent” from the artist, the Impressionistic scene sold above estimates at $52,800.
Two Frederic Remington monochromatic oils were sold, each of the lots having been executed as illustrations for an article in an 1889 edition of Scribner’s Magazine titled “How The Derby Was Won.” Each scene depicted images associated with the Kentucky Derby. “Jockey,” $36,000, shows a jockey with saddle and riding gear in hand; a larger work titled “Yaboo” shows the winning horse being warmed up by the jockey, $48,000.
“A Fine Day For Boating” was the perfect title for William Mason Brown’s landscape depicting a couple rowing a boat on a blue-bird day. The mountainous river scene was a well executed work that realized $48,000.
Prices printed include the buyer’s premium. For information, 207-772-501 or www.barridoff.com .
